Federal prosecutors have handed out more subpoenas in a criminal investigation stemming from the recent coal ash spill in Eden. The government is seeking documents from 20 current and former employees at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Prosecutors are also calling on those individuals to testify before a grand jury. The subpoenas seek records related to cash, items of value or investments that state employees might have received from Duke.
“Any implication or allegation that DENR and Duke got together and make some smoky backroom deal with a nominal fine is absolutely not true,” said John Skvarla, Secretary of DENR. Skvarla spoke for 25-minutes at a press conference Wednesday.
A pipe running under a coal ash pond in Eden ruptured earlier this month setting of the third largest spill of its kind in U-S history. Environmentalists have called DENR’s relationship with Duke too cozy, and assert the state agency is unable to police the nation’s largest electricity provider. John Skvarla is the head of DENR. He defended the organization during an hour-long briefing Wednesday.
"Somehow or another this perception has been created that we are adversaries to the citizens groups, when in fact we are all on the same side of the table. We are partners," Skvala said.
No environmentalists or citizens groups were part of yesterday’s press conference.
Duke confirmed it received a second subpoena this week, but would not go into specifics. The potentially toxic coal ash has traveled 70 miles downstream into Virginia. State and federal officials say that treated drinking water remains safe for public consumption.
PHOTOS: What it looked like when the coal ash drained from a power plant to the Dan River
